The image of parched deserts could actually change if scientists are successfully able to squeeze water out of gypsum, a rocky mineral which is abundantly found in the desert areas. This mineral contains nearly 20% of water by weight, and clean drinking water could soon be a reality for the areas where water is scant.
In many desert areas, billions of cubic meters of gypsum is found widespread, representing as much clean drinking water. Using solar energy or heat from flaring oil wells, water can be released from gypsum at nearly 100 degree Celsius. At this temperature, water is released and gypsum subsides into a smaller volume like bassanite or anhydrite, serving as a reservoir of fresh water, thus quenching the deserts.
For more than a decade, the Holland Innovation Team has been working on this project and has come up with this method of dewatering gypsum to meet water needs for drinking and irrigation purposes. A pilot test for this purpose is soon being scheduled in a desert location (could be a location in Sahara) to determine the best suited method for water mining. Peter van der Gaag and colleagues have described this proposal in a special issue on ‘Macro-Engineering’, published in the International Journal of Global Environmental Issues.
Via: Biopact
